1 Timothy 3
1 It is a faithful saying, that if a man desireth the eldership, he desireth a good work.
This is a faithful saying: someone who seeks to be an overseer desires a good work.
2 And an elder ought to be such, that no blame can be found in him; and he should be the husband of one wife, with a vigilant mind, and sober and regular in his habits, and affectionate to strangers, and instructive;
The overseer therefore must be without reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, modest, hospitable, good at teaching;
3 and not a transgressor in regard to wine, and whose hand is not swift to strike; but he should be humble, and not contentious, nor a lover of money;
not a drinker, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous;
4 and one that guideth well his own house, and holdeth his children in subjection with all purity.
one who rules his own house well, having children in subjection with all reverence;
5 For if he knoweth not how to guide his own house well, how can he guide the church of God.
(for how could someone who doesn’t know how to rule his own house take care of God’s assembly?)
6 Neither let him be of recent discipleship; lest he be uplifted, and fall into the condemnation of Satan.
not a new convert, lest being puffed up he fall into the same condemnation as the devil.
7 And there ought to be good testimony of him from those without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of Satan.
Moreover he must have good testimony from those who are outside, to avoid falling into reproach and the snare of the devil.
8 And so also the deacons should be pure, and not speak double, nor incline to much wine, nor love base gains;
Servants, in the same way, must be reverent, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for money,
9 but should hold the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience.
holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.
10 And let them be first tried, and then let them serve, if they are without blame.
Let them also first be tested; then let them serve if they are blameless.
11 So also should the wives be chaste and of vigilant minds; and they should be faithful in all things; and they should not be slanderers.
Their wives in the same way must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, and faithful in all things.
12 Let the deacons be such as have each one wife and guide well their children and households.
Let servants be husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.
13 For they who serve well as deacons, procure for themselves a good degree, and much boldness in the faith of Jesus the Messiah.
For those who have served well gain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.
14 These things I write to thee, while hoping soon to come to thee;
These things I write to you, hoping to come to you shortly,
15 but if I should delay, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to conduct thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God. The pillar and the foundation of the truth,
but if I wait long, that you may know how men ought to behave themselves in God’s house, which is the assembly of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
16 and truly great, is this mystery of righteousness, which was revealed in the flesh, and justified in the spirit, and seen by angels, and proclaimed among the Gentiles, and believed on in the world, and received up into glory.
Without controversy, the mystery of godliness is great: God was revealed in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen by angels, preached amongst the nations, believed on in the world, and received up in glory.
